Monday, January 03, 2011

Happy New Year!

May your year be filled with love, happiness, good friends and sente.

 


I finally joined the Advanced Study Room League. It is an interesting system and I am looking forward to getting some good games in.

The League divides group of players into Layers

The league is made out of multiple layers; Super, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon. The superclass floats above the league and is only available for 6d+ (link). The regular league works with the pyramid system. The pyramid means that for every layer you move down you double in size of classes. So Alpha splits into 2 Beta classes, Beta splits into 4 Gamma classes etc. Layer sizes might vary according to the number of entrants we have that month.

The layers are subdivided into Classes

A class consists of 14 players. The lowest layer in the league can have 20 players. This is done because often new players sign up but don’t play a lot. This way we can give new players the chance to still enjoy the league.

Every month we promote the top 3 players in a class and demote the lowest 6 players. The top 6 places in the league are always safe from demotion.

What I like most about the League is their focus on teaching and learning:

With a spread of ability in the majority of the classes, that there will always be stronger players to play that can be learned from, and weaker players that can be taught. At the end of each game, it is hoped that the stronger player will take the time to review the game for the weaker player. If the players are of even strength, much can be learned by reviewing the game together.


Every month is a new league and there are still many slots open for January. If you are interested log on to KGS, join the Advanced Study Room and sign up. It is for all level players so don't worry about being too weak, these games will help you get stronger.
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, this blog is still going strong! I quit Go for almost 2 years, and have recently been trying to get back into it. Very cool that you are still writing.

I have managed to train my kitty to sit on my lap, rather than the keyboard. Although he quickly realizes that my brain is focused on Go rather than petting him, and he eventually leaves for greener pastures.

I am fairly frustrated with my play so far though, having lost something like 2-3 stones of strength. I made 4k in under a year and was well on my way (I thought) to shodan before we moved and everything was too complicated to continue playing Go. My reading seems to have suffered most of all.

Still, it's always "nice" to read you blog and see that even 1d players miss simple ataris. :)

bee said...

Ay! nice, I'm in the league too! ex-retired go player getting serious! But I also join the Korean-Style Insei League, and have been giving that more of my attention. Good luck in your games!